A red tag on unpermitted work, an addition that was built without ever pulling a permit, or a fire- or water-damaged section of a house that needs to be rebuilt — different situations, same starting problem: what's actually standing doesn't match any drawing the city has. We document the real existing condition with a Matterport 3D scan, then draft the as-built and corrective or reconstruction drawings needed to get the project back in front of a plan checker.
A red tag or stop-work notice, a garage conversion that was never permitted, a fire- or storm-damaged section of framing — on paper these look like separate problems, but they start the same way: the building department has no accurate drawing of what's actually there, and nothing moves through plan check until one exists. We read the notice or the damage assessment, confirm what the city is actually asking for, and draft the documentation that closes that gap. That's a different job from designing something new — if you're planning new construction rather than resolving an existing condition, see our Architectural Drafting & Design page instead.
What we can't do is promise a specific outcome from code enforcement or the plan check counter. Whether an unpermitted structure gets legalized instead of removed, what corrections a code enforcement officer requires, and how a reviewer reads a reconstruction set are decisions the jurisdiction makes — not us, and we're not going to imply otherwise. What we control is the accuracy and completeness of the drawings we submit, so your case gets decided on real information instead of a guess, and you're not back at the counter a second time over a documentation error that was avoidable.
We start by reading the city's notice line by line — what triggered it, and what corrections or documentation it's actually asking for — then draft as-built drawings of the unpermitted or non-compliant work and a retroactive permit package scoped to close it out.
A Matterport 3D scan replaces the tape measure for documenting existing condition — every wall, opening and dimension captured to laser accuracy instead of a hand-measured estimate, then digitized into usable floor plans. That matters most exactly when it's most in dispute: proving to the city what actually exists in an unpermitted or undocumented space. See our Site Plans & Property Surveys page for broader site-level documentation.
For fire, water or structural damage, we draft the reconstruction drawings that document what needs to be rebuilt and the repair permit set your contractor and the city both require — matched to the real damaged condition through a Matterport scan rather than assumptions based on the original plans, which may not reflect what was actually built.
We review the city's red tag or violation letter, or the damage itself, and confirm what documentation the situation actually calls for before drafting anything.
A laser-accurate scan captures what's actually built or damaged, standing in for a drawing that doesn't exist or no longer matches reality.
Existing-conditions and repair, reconstruction or retroactive-permit drawings drafted in Revit directly against the scan data.
The package goes to the city; if it comes back with corrections, we revise and resubmit rather than leaving you to sort it out alone.
A red tag is a notice from the building department, usually issued by code enforcement, flagging unpermitted construction, an unsafe condition, or a stop-work order on an active project. It generally requires you to either remove the work or document it and bring it up to current code through a retroactive permit. We can't tell you which path your specific case will land on until we've read the actual notice — that decision belongs to the city — but our job is to draft accurate as-built drawings of what exists and a permit package that gives your case a fair, well-documented review.
No, and we wouldn't trust anyone who tells you otherwise. Whether an unpermitted structure gets legalized, what corrections a code enforcement officer requires, and how a plan checker reads a reconstruction set are decisions the jurisdiction makes, not us. What we control is the accuracy and completeness of the drawings we submit — as-built documentation that actually matches what's built, and a permit package scoped to what your city is asking for. That's the best way to get a fair review; it isn't a guarantee of the outcome or any special treatment from code enforcement.
On a typical remodel, a tape-measure error might mean a cabinet doesn't fit right. Here, the entire point of the drawing is to prove to the city exactly what exists — an unpermitted room addition, storm-damaged framing, a wall that was moved without a permit. A hand-measured sketch that's off by a few inches undermines the credibility of the whole submittal. A Matterport scan captures the real dimensions directly, so the as-built drawings we hand to the city are accurate instead of approximate.
Residential or commercial, drafting or Title 24 — send a few details and we'll follow up with next steps and a free quote.
(408) 676-8747
Sunny Drafting & Design